Fahmida Riaz

Fahmida Riaz died on November 21, 2018 at the age 72.

On 8 March 2014, against the backdrop of rising concerns over intolerance in India, Riaz recited her poem 'Tum bilkul hum jaisey nikley' at a seminar called ‘Hum Gunahgaar Auratein’. The poem compares the rising Hindutva in India and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan during Zia-ul-Haq's regime.

Fahmida Riaz (Urdu: فہمیدہ ریاض) (28 July 1946 – 21 November 2018) was a Urdu writer, poet and activist of Pakistan. She authored many books, of which some are Godaavari, Khatt-e Marmuz, and Khana e Aab O Gil the first translation in rhyme of the Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi from Persian into Urdu. The author of more than 15 books of fiction and poetry, she remained at the center of controversies. When Badan Dareeda, her second collection of verse, appeared, she was accused of using erotic, sensual expressions and sometimes islamist undertone in her work. The themes prevalent in her verse were, until then, considered taboo for women writers. She also translated the works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Shaikh Ayaz from Sindhi to Urdu. Fleeing General Zia-ul Haq's religious tyranny, Riaz sought refuge in India and spent seven years there.

Fahmida Riaz was born on 28 July 1946 to a literary family from Meerut, British India. Her father, Riaz-ud-Din Ahmed, was a educationist involved in mapping and developing the modern education system for the province of Sindh. Her family settled in the city of Hyderabad after her father’s transfer to Sindh. Her father died when she was four and so she was raised by her mother. She learned about Urdu and Sindhi literature in her childhood, and after that learnt the Persian language. After completing her education, she began working as a newscaster for Radio Pakistan.